News from Mrs. Armstrong

News from Mrs. Armstrong

September 2016

We have had an excellent start to the new school year. Thank you for your efforts to prepare your children for the start of school.

Please continue to be attentive to your children’s progress as the academic year evolves. Continue your dialogue with your children about the school day. Use questions such as, “How was your day?” “Tell me all about it.” “Do you have homework?’” “What was the best part of your day?” These are just ideas for starting the conversation each day. Soon your children will start the conversation themselves. If you can initiate the conversation as soon as you see your children each day. Soon your children will start the conversation themselves.

Make yourself known to your children’s teachers. Your children will notice when you greet their teachers--and when their teachers know who you are!

Check on the academic progress of your children. Start early! Review your children's Thursday folder work, check Parent Portal, visit Zitzman’s website and the teacher’s webpage. If necessary, schedule a time to meet with the teacher.

Zitzman’s building school improvement plan will soon be posted on our school website. The plan is our school guide to focus on continued student and staff growth for the school year. One main focus you make see and hear at Zitzman is goal setting. Students and staff will focus on setting goals and reflecting on progress throughout the year. Parents will be included in this goal by taking parent surveys over various matters to gain input and reflect on current practices. Have you set a goal for your child lately? Consider setting a family goal to have two meals a week at the dinner table as a family. Goals should be simple, timely and attainable. Best wishes on meeting your family goals. I know Zitzman will meet our goals for the year because we have a committed staff and group of parents supporting our school.

We look forward to an excellent year with your children and you!

Your partner in learning

MAP Scores

Student scores will be released in October. We are excited to see the growth our students made from the previous year and how our students compare with the state average.
Parent Pick-up and Bus News
Parent Pick-up
The pick-up line is working well. Thank you to our parents and staff for helping to keep students safe during this procedure. We do ask parents to consider putting your school age child’s booster seat on the right side of the car and teach your child to buckle their safety belt to make the transition go more smoothly.
School Bus
Safety First…..Parents need to make sure someone is present at the bus stop for students in grades kindergarten and first grade. We need parental help in reminding students to stay seated on the bus at all times. October 19th is Bus Driver appreciation day. Please be sure to thank your child’s driver.

Home and School News

Parent/guardian, partnership with the school is key to a school’s success! We need each family’s help to ensure Zitzman is the best learning community for every child. How can you help our Zitzman?

W.A.T.C.H. Dog Program- Dads/grandfathers volunteer at least twice during the school year to mentor students in the classroom, help chaperone lunch, eat lunch with your student, monitor the exterior of the school grounds. W.A.T.C.H. Dogs wear their specific t-shirt on the day they volunteer, attend a meeting to review the program and complete a background check.

Morning Read Program- Moms, dads and grandparents willing to volunteer in the morning to listen to students read. We have many children learning to read, need practice reading, listening and speaking. All Morning Read volunteers must have a background check. Volunteers can make their own schedule. The Morning Read program runs from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. each day.

Parents and Teachers Organization (P.T.O.)- This organization is the steering group to all of the school family events and a major contributor in help the school raise funds for extracurricular programs for students. We encourage at least one parent represent each classroom to make sure all voices help our school be successful. It takes a team to make great things happen in a community. PTO’s main fundraising goal is to partner with the school to purchase 75 Chromebooks. Check out the Zitzman PTO on Facebook.

Parent and Teacher Conferences-Zitzman has a goal of 100% participation for our fall and spring conferences. The visit is brief (10-15 minutes), however, the visit will help you understand your child’s academic standing compared to the grade level expectation for year. Several community resources will be present at the conferences to support families. Events will include: securing a public library card, Crider Counseling focussing on Medicaid questions, Free/Reduce Lunch booth, 1-2-3 Magic Discipline parenting sessions and curriculum website resource sessions will be available at our fall and spring conferences. Save the dates: October 17 & 19 March 13 &15